Christmas is for everyone

Christmas tips for autistic people and their families, could be read in the first place of the google search I did, says Bernardo (fictitious name). The other possibilities were not very different, he continues. It got me thinking that even Christmas looks like an accident site full of danger warnings for autistic people, he says. But the same goes for any other time of the year! he says. If it's New Year's Eve, it's because of the fireworks. Or if you're in the United States, it's the 4th of July. Or birthday parties and carnival, she says. Everything is put in a dangerous way for autistic people. And non-autistic people get the idea that it's like that for all autistic people. And we're talking about celebrations, but the same is also true for other things. Like we're saying that autistic people are crystal and will break at the first sneeze someone takes, just keep venting. At home we are all on the spectrum, says Carolina (fictitious name). Carolina and Bernardo have been married for sixteen years. Our eldest son has ADHD and the girl has autism, she says. But we all celebrate Christmas, she says. Even our son, who is a teenager and doesn't seem to get as involved in the celebrations anymore, ends up celebrating in his own way, Bernardo comments. The issues that these posts and warnings talk so much about, saying that Christmas is a dangerous period, boring and full of unexpected moments for autistic people, is not only at Christmas, says Carolina. It is like this every day, whenever people do not accept the difference and do not try to understand, says Bernardo. It is at school as well as at work, he says. We need to talk more and more about autism, says Carolina. But it is necessary even more to talk about the normality of the life of autistic people, continues. And not to continue putting everything as if the life of autistic people was an accident site full of danger warnings, as Bernardo said, says Carolina. Even though autistic people may have a different neurology, this does not mean that we are a bunch of accidents, says Bernardo between a laugh shared with Carolina. How many people don't exist with different neurologies, even without diagnosis? asks Bernardo. We worry about inflation and unemployment. Or the conflicts in the world and environmental issues. And if there is enough detergent or fabric softener to wash the clothes. All these things that are part of adult people's lives, whether autistic or not, says Carolina.